


The King Is Dead

by bitch_i_migth_be



Series: Long Live To The Kings [1]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: But it's almost the same here, Dan Phantom mentions - Freeform, Danny Fenton Is So Done, Gen, Ghost King Danny, Ghost King Pariah Dark, Manipulative ClockWork, Paranoid Danny Fenton, Should be warning enough, Smart Danny Fenton, The show's plot holes are the homes to my new Headcanons, fUCK THE OBSERVANTS, it's very brief, more like, sketchy ghost history, the violence is because of Dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26417089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitch_i_migth_be/pseuds/bitch_i_migth_be
Summary: The worst mistake the Observants ever made was overlooking Clockwork.
Relationships: Clockwork & Danny Fenton
Series: Long Live To The Kings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920142
Comments: 12
Kudos: 183





	The King Is Dead

**Author's Note:**

> (❁◦˘ ◡ ˘)
> 
> (❁◦☉◡☉)
> 
> Well, this happened.

Phantom had never quite understood just what the fuck was the deal with Pariah Dark. 

What were the ancients ever thinking when they trapped him in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. If he had been such a dangerous threat against the Ghost Zone then why just put him to sleep? Why not just erase him from existence and be done with it? Weren’t they supposed to be super strong ancient ghosts that protected the zone? Why not just finish the job? 

Why take the risk? 

It didn’t make sense. 

Even after some weeks had passed from the Incident Danny was still restless with questions. And it only got worse when he remembered that Vlad still had the Crown of Fire on his clutches back in-

Back in Pariah's keep. 

Uh.

The castle had not been named after Pariah before, had it? It had been Fright Knight’s, hadn’t it? Then again that had just been in Sam's book. But how had the pumpkin gone back to the castle? Danny had not worried the first time when he watched it disappear in thin air through a ghost portal, but he did now. 

A quick trip to the castle had confirmed the — now exploded to pieces — pumpkin's location, it was not in the same room Danny had found it the first time, it was not even tucker’s fake melted out pumpkin, this one’s remains looked purple and green and all too fitting for the zone’s ongoing theme, as it had also been previously supported by the hands of a skeleton just at the feet of the staircase leading to the gigantic sarcophagus. 

The damn sword had not even been in the same freaking pumpkin. How had that even worked in the first place to defeat the fright knight when it had just been tucker’s melted candy bowl? He had been desperate at the time but this was ridiculous. Danny was so freaking done with this. 

The more he thought about it, the more he searched around the place, the worst it got. 

The remains of the Ring of Rage’s little shield were still laid at the feet of the matching skeleton on the other side of the staircase. Why both their noses looked like a keyhole when only one had something to unlock was beyond Danny, but it was exactly the same keyhole they were sharing with the Sarcophagus, and wasn’t that just splendid? 

A Key to open them all? Were these people stupid? That was just asking for trouble. 

On his way back home he almost face-palmed himself into unconsciousness.

When Vlad had bragged that finding the Skeleton Key had been his destiny because ‘the zone itself had laid it on a purple velvet pillow with tassels for him’, Danny had assumed he was just being his dramatic-rich-person fruit loop self.

Seeing the little pillow inside the tiny glass display adorned with little skulls, he guessed not. 

Oh, you had to be kidding him. This was practically next door to the castle and in a graveyard? on the zone? they were already dead, who to fuck would they need to bury? Were these the houses of the skeleton army? Or it had just been included with the castle for creepy purposes? 

Phantom sighed and started rubbing his temple. 

So to recap, Plasmius had found the Skeleton Key above a tasseled pillow — with just a little glass door to protect it? the damn thing was not even hidden for fuck’s sakes — thas was right next to Pariah’s keep, where you could find the Fright Knight, obtain the Ring of Rage using the previously found key _and also_ use that same key to open the resting place of the psychotic ghost king who, for some reason, was wearing the Crown of Fire that the ancients had taken away from him. 

Because, of course, he was. 

Had he mentioned that the traps on the damn place had not even activated for Plasmius? The things had almost made him swiss cheese before he had remembered humans couldn’t be harmed in the Zone. Oh! But for Plasmius it was a free pass!

What. the. hell.

It sounded too fucking convenient.

Who the fuck did even plan this? Fright knight, the Ring, the Sarcophagus, the Crown, all in the same place, all within easy access if you had the same fucking key that was easier to get than a C+ in English class. It was like they were not even trying.

If whoever planned this was put in charge of a video game they would bomb it spectacularly. 

They expected him to believe that no one had tried to pull this shit before? that Vlad was the only mofo crazy enough for power to open the sarcophagus for a crown that was not even supposed to be there but _somehow was?_

There had to be someone behind this. There was no way all of these were just coincidences. Someone had planned it, someone had given Pariah his Crown back, someone had arranged everything else to work like a charm so the Ghost King could get out of his Sarcophagus. 

The only problem was, who was it? Which ghost was behind this? was it even a ghost? All the ghost’s Danny knew, and about a million he didn’t, had been way too scared to even think about pulling off something like this. And as far as he knew there was no other human with easy access to the zone, Walker would have gone nuts again otherwise. Phantom had no clues.

But then the C.A.T. happened.

And he had met Clockwork. 

Clockwork, who had witnessed the atrocities he could commit, who heard the victim's cries for help, the countless mass murders, the one who had watched his future self bring down entire nations at his feet, and still didn’t erase Dan nor Phantom from existence.

And didn’t that sound familiar? To keep the worst threats against the zone under your thumb but not dispose of them? 

Who exactly was Clockwork? Who, exactly, were the Ancients? 

Just what were these damned ghosts playing at? 

The meeting just served to open the door to more questions.

Because wouldn’t that be a good way to explain this whole mess? Why would the Ancients keep the tyrannical Ghost King in such an easily interrupted ‘forever sleep’?

Unless the Ancients were not trying to get rid of him, not for real. 

Not ‘forever’. 

This thought only made Danny get a bigger headache, because even if the Ancients were really scheming to set free the Ghost King eventually, would it really be such a bad thing if the time ghost was involved?

Maybe there was something more to the story than what had been written down in paper.

Human history was not always clear, because normally the winning side was the one writing down their versions. Each country chose and nitpicked every fact that went onto their books to fit their version of history, to make it convenient. Because you could grow up learning what the school taught you as an absolute truth but the moment you got your hands on a book from another part of the world you suddenly discovered new conflicts that you had previously known nothing about. 

Why would the Ghost Zone’s history be any different? Especially when it’s official name was the ‘Infinity Realms’.

If the exorbitant amount of books in the Ghost Writer’s possession depicting way too many versions of the same events was anything to go by, they weren’t. 

And it just made Danny more restless. 

Until he found an old book on his bed with a note from the time ghost himself.

It had been- 

Eye-opening, to say the least. 

But could he trust this? Trust his mentor?

So Pariah’s invasion had looked pretty dire at the time, yes, but If Clockwork was involved it couldn’t be so bad, could it? The master of time was in charge of taking care of the timelines after all. He had helped him stop Dan’s rampage, helped him to not become his worst nightmare.

Clockwork had been the one that saved his family, the one that trusted in him and gave him another chance.

Maybe-? Maybe Danny should do the same and return that trust?

He thought he would have more time to think about it, but things never happened the way the halfa wanted. 

Case in point, apparently kicking the ass of a Ghost King after said king had accepted your ‘challenge’ meant that you gained the title. Or something like that. The Observants had been the ones to say it, and considering there had not been another Ghost King since Pariah had been sealed away Danny was not sure they knew what they were talking about, but you try and fight the goddamn eyeballs. 

Clockwork had apparently delayed them from trying to come and bother Danny about it for as long as he could, but they had eventually succeeded in being a bunch of pests. 

Danny had been reluctant at first, loudly so, and more than ready to rip the Observants a new one until the eyeballs said that thanks to him retrieving the Crown, the only thing left to get would be the Ring. 

This, of course, made the halfa suspicious as fuck, because the last time he had seen that crown it had been on Plasmius scheming hands, and there was no way Vlad would have relinquished his claim over the damn thing without a good fight, unless-

Unless he had not fought at all. 

Or even had the chance to do so. 

An exchange of looks with the time ghost was answer enough. Danny allowed himself to take some deep breaths and felt himself relaxing little by little. 

_He saved my family_ , Danny remembered. He owed him. And if the halfa knew him at all there was no one who cared more about the timelines’ wellbeing or hated the observant’s guts more than his mentor. 

They had not talked about it, seeing as ClockWork was always secretive to a fault, but Danny thought he had seen enough.

So Phantom had let them crown him. 

If the Observants had not been so immersed in themselves they would have noticed that Phantom was being too accommodating.

Way too easy-going for someone they had basically forced into their own schemes.

So the Observants wanted him to open Pariah’s Sarcophagus so he could retrieve the Ring of Rage and become the full-fledged King of the Realms? 

Fine, then. 

In the end, things wouldn’t go their way. 

Not if Clockwork had his way. 

So why bother?

Now within a few steps of the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, Skeleton Key on a firm grasp, Crown of Fire resting upon his head, and with the Observants nowhere in sight, Phantom remembered Clockwork’s actions until now. 

And allowed himself to laugh freely at the irony.

_‘Because the worst mistake the Observants have ever made is overlooking Clockwork-’_

The sound of the Sarcophagus’ lock opening resonated amongst the palace’s walls.

_‘Time and time again.’_

Phantom smirked and whispered under his breath the words Clockwork had mouthed at him earlier from across the chamber.

_“Long live the King.”_

**Author's Note:**

> LARGA VIDA AL REY, PERRAS!  
> -.-.-.-  
> Sorry I got excited.  
> -.-.-.-  
> I would like to know who thought letting me write and post this was a good idea.  
> -.-.-.-  
> There are so many plot holes in Reign Storm that it is not even funny.  
> -.-.-.-
> 
> I love Clockwork.
> 
> Tell me the truth, does this sound like Phantom is going rogue? Does it?
> 
> I think I will leave this as a stand-alone over here, so the ones that want to go with the ‘ClockWork manipulated Danny to fuck everyone over since the beginning’, can do it to their heart’s content, (That’s what I’m doing) 
> 
> And make a more happy version as a follow-up?? Make another fic entirely with this as the first chapter? make it a series of sorts? yAS.
> 
> If anyone wants the other version, that will be Danny/Pariah, by the way, (I don’t even care if you don’t like it, I’m writing this for myself and sharing with whoever would like to read it.) I will leave this as chapter one on the next part of the series and update it over there when I finish Pariah’s chapter. Fic’s name: Rivertime.


End file.
